A new study shows for the first time a gender difference in the brain's …

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The perception of the video gamer by the general public starts with the fact that said gamer is usually a he. While this isn't always accurate (Elle brought more consoles to our marriage than I did), by and large most video gamers have a Y chromosome.

Some studies in the past have identified a link between the neurophysiological mechanisms behind dependence and video games; brain scans have shown that success in a game results in the release of dopamine in part of the reward circuit in the brain. Now a study from a team at Stanford University have examined whether there might be any neurological differences between men and women when it comes to video games and brain activation.

Male and female student volunteers were presented with a test which involved clicking on moving balls when they appeared on one half of the screen. The screen was divided by a solid line, and the balls always appeared in one half and traveled towards the solid line. Although the volunteers were not told, the test had both game and control conditions. Under game conditions, if the balls reached the solid line before they were clicked on, the line would move such that the empty space got smaller. Clicking the balls and preventing them from getting close to the solid line resulted in the line moving such that the empty space grew. Control conditions were identical, but the solid line remained fixed in place throughout. Surveys taken of the volunteers beforehand showed no gender differences in video gaming habits.

There was no difference in motor performance-that is to say that men and women both had the same skill, but male volunteers were significantly quicker to pick up on how the game worked, and scored better than their female counterparts. Using fMRI scanners, the authors then generated brain activation profiles for the gamers, and they discovered a significant difference between male and female brains: the male brains showed a greater activation of the right nucleus accumbens, right amygdala and the bilateral orbitofrontal cortex. In addition, there was a positive correlation between success in the test game and male brain activation, but not in female brains.

Now, let's be clear. This research does not say that male gamers are video game addicts, nor that women cannot game due to brain differences. What it does show, however, is that when male brains are presented with a video game, they show greater activation in the reward centers of the brain than their female counterparts, and those reward centers are also very important in addiction. Of course, you shouldn't ask Elle whether I showed signs of being a Forza addict this weekend...